Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry discussion

Note: All Quidditch Players MUST read this before participating in a match.



Rules

The official rules of Quidditch are partially described in Quidditch Through the Ages. They are said to have been laid down in 1750 by the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Some of the more common rules are as follows:

Players must not stray over the boundary lines of the pitch, although they may fly as high as desired. The Quaffle must be surrendered to the opposition if any player leaves the boundary. Quidditch matches in the Harry Potter films, however, show players often deliberately flying over the boundary lines and even around the spectator towers.

A time out may be called at any time by a team Captain. It may be extended to two hours if a game has already lasted for more than twelve hours. Failure to return to the pitch afterward disqualifies the offending team.

The referee can impose penalties if a foul occurs. A single Chaser from the fouled team takes a penalty shot by flying from the central circle towards the scoring area. The opposing team's Keeper may attempt to block this shot, but no other player may interfere, much like a penalty shot in ice hockey.

Contact is allowed, but a player may not grasp another's broomstick or any part of his or her body. (Draco Malfoy breaks this rule in Prisoner of Azkaban by grabbing Harry's broomtail to stop him from seizing the Snitch.)

Substitution of a player is allowed, if one is too badly hurt to continue, the game has extended over 48 hours and fatigue sets in, or the captain calls a time-out to switch out players.

Players may take their wands onto the pitch, but they must not be used on or against any players, any player's broomstick, the referee, any of the four balls, or the spectators. (The right to carry wands at all times was granted during the height of wizard and witch persecution by Muggles, according to Quidditch Through the Ages).

Players shall not attack one another by wand, hand or broom.



Fouls

Rowling writes that there are 700 Quidditch fouls listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records, but most of these fouls are not open to the public, owing to the Department's supposed fear the wizards/witches who read the list of fouls "might get ideas". It is claimed that all 700 occurred during the very first Quidditch World Cup. Apparently, most are now impossible to commit as there is a ban on using wands against an opponent (imposed in 1538). The most common of those fouls which are described are enumerated below.

Blagging: No player may seize any part of an opponent's broom to slow or hinder the player (Draco Malfoy commits this foul in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, thus preventing Harry from seizing the Snitch).

Blatching: No player may fly with the intent to collide. (Substitute Slytherin seeker Harper breaks this rule when he collides into Harry after insulting the latter's friend, and Gryffindor Keeper, Ronald Weasley. This occurs in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)

Blurting: No player may lock broom handles with the intent to steer an opponent off course. (Often occurs whilst playing Slytherin)

Bumphing: Beaters must not hit Bludgers towards spectators (although Harry jokingly orders one of his Beaters to send one at Zacharias Smith in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), or the Keeper, unless the Quaffle is within the scoring area (in the first film, however, Marcus Flint, a Chaser, commits this foul with a Beater's bat, and Madam Hooch refuses to penalise him for it).

Cobbing: Players must not make excessive use of their elbows against opponents. (Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Chaser, commits this foul against the Gryffindor Chaser, Angelina Johnson, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).

Flacking: Keepers must not defend the posts from behind by punching Quaffles out of the hoops – goals must be defended from the front.

Haversacking: Chasers must not still be in contact with the Quaffle as it passes through a hoop (the Quaffle must be thrown through).

Quaffle-pocking: Chasers must not tamper with the Quaffle in any way.

Quafflenip: No player other than the Chasers and Keepers may touch or catch the Quaffle

Snitchnip: No player other than the Seeker may touch or catch the Golden Snitch.

Stooging: No more than one Chaser is allowed in the scoring area at any one time. (However, game play in Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup and the fan-made Q3D permit this behaviour.)

International renowned player Patrick Mckenzie of Scotland is the only known player to commit more than half of these in one match, with multiple offenses.



The Pitch and Quidditch balls

The Quidditch field or pitch is usually grass for a field and is an oval 500 feet long and 180 feet wide and has six round goal posts, three at each end. The Golden Snitch is the size of a walnut and is charmed to evade capture as long as possible, the longest being a game where the snitch wasn't caught for six months before the captains agreed to end the match. That was in 1884 and that snitch has never been caught. The Quaffle is about the size of a modern soccer ball. The Bludgers (originally called 'blooders') are about the size of a softball. The Beaters' bats are magically reinforced to withstand the blows of knocking the Bludgers away.

Scoring

Scoring occurs when one of two things happen, either a Quaffle is thrown through a goal hoop or the Seeker catches the Golden Snitch. Goals are worth ten points whether because of a play or a foul. Catching of the Snitch ends the match and is worth 150 points.

The Team

Each team consists of seven players. Three (3) Chasers, two (2) Beaters, one (1) Keeper and one (1) Seeker.

The Chasers handle the Quaffle primarily and are the ones that approach the goals with that ball

The Beaters have magically reinforced bats to hit the Bludgers away from their own team and towards the opposing team.

The Keeper tends the goal from in front of the goal hoops, keeping the Quaffle from entering and scoring.

The Seeker is the only one allowed to catch and hold the Golden Snitch.



Complex Moves

Bludger Backbeat - A move by which the Beater strikes the Bludger with a backhanded club swing, sending it behind him or her rather than in front. Difficult to bring off with precision but excellent for confusing opponents.

Dopplebeater Defence - Both Beaters hit a Bludger at the same time for extra power, resulting in a Bludger attack of greater severity.

Double Eight Loop - A Keeper defence, usually employed against penalty takes, whereby the Keeper swerves around all three goal hoops at high speed to block the Quaffle.

Hawkshead Attacking Formation - Chasers form an arrowhead pattern and fly together towards the goalposts. Highly intimidating to opposing teams and effective in forcing other players aside.

Parkin's Pincer - So named for the original members of the Wigtown Wanderers, who are reputed to have invented this move. Two Chasers close in on an opposing Chaser on either side, while the third flies headlong towards him or her.

Plumpton Pass - (Seeker move) A seemingly careless swerve that scoops the Snitch up one's sleeve. Named after Roderick Plumpton, Tutshill Tornado Seeker, who employed the move on his famous record-breaking Snitch catch of 1921. Although some critics have alleged that this was an accident, Plumpton maintained until his death that he had meant to do it.

Porskoff Ploy - The Chaser carrying the Quaffle flies upwards, leading opposing Chasers to believe he or she is trying to escape them to score, but then throws the Quaffle downwards to a fellow Chaser waiting to catch it. Pinpoint timing is of the essence. Named after the Russian Chaser Petrova Porskoff.

Reverse Pass - A Chaser throws the Quaffle over one shoulder to a team member. Accuracy is difficult.

Sloth Grip Roll - Hanging upside down off the broom, gripping tightly with hands and feet to avoid a Bludger.

Starfish and Stick - Keeper defence; the Keeper holds the broom horizontally with one hand and one foot curled around the handle, while keeping all limbs outstretched. The Starfish Without Stick should never be attempted.

Transylvania Tackle - First seen at the World Cup of 1473, this is a fake punch aimed at the nose. As long as contact is not made, the move is not illegal, though it is difficult to pull off when both parties are on speeding broomsticks.

Woollongong Shimmy - Perfected by the Australia Woollongong Warriors, this is a high-speed zigzagging movement intended to throw off opposing Chasers.

Wronski Feint - The Seeker hurtles towards the ground pretending to have seen the Snitch far below, but pulls out of the dive just before hitting the pitch. Intended to make the opposing Seeker copy him and crash, named after the Polish Seeker Josef Wronski.




All referees will follow these rules and guidelines.



If you have any fouls or complex moves that you would like to be added to the list, please state them below.

Thank You!